Dolphins and Sharks: A Nonfiction Companion to Dolphins at Daybreak

From the famous Magic Tree House collection Dolphins and Sharks by Mary Pope Osborne is a perfect non fiction book to read with children. Not only is this book filled with very informative information about sea animals it also gives children facts about the ocean and the atmosphere surrounding the environment. I would use this book in my class if I was teaching a lesson about the ocean. You could also make it into a book project and assign every student in your class to read this short book and then pick a sea animal to write a short paper on. These are all good ways to incorporate non fiction into your classroom.

This book is about a brother and sister that take a trip in their Magic Tree House to solve riddles so that they can become librarians. After a series of traumatic aquatic adventures Jack and Annie return home to their mother. More advanced readers would like this adventurous story and it teaches them about riddles. Teachers could have a lesson on riddles and how they are used in literature.

The companion to Magic Treehouse 9: Dolphins at Daybreak, this book offers interesting facts about sea life and incorporates how to's for recording research findings, how to conduct research, and how to write a research paper. This book offers kid friendly descriptions of sea animals and their habitats. Includes photos and illustrations.

The guide goes beyond the novel by describing many differentt types of sharks and dolphins. It describes the body parts, eating habits, and activities of these animals. It also gives information on specific species. In addition, the book tells how to be safe from sharks.

1. Main character
Dolphins and sharks

2. Write the summary of the book.

In the ocean, larger and stronger animals eat smaller and weaker ones. Scientists call their process the food chain. Dolphins and sharks are predators. Because they are larger and stronger than most sea animals, they are at the top of the food chain.
Most scientists think 50 million years ago, dolphins had hands and legs and lived on land. Over millions of years, dolphins adapted to life in the water. They developed ways of breathe in the water to find food and communicate. Today there are about 33 different kinds, or species, of dolphins. These different species have many things in common.
Although dolphins and sharks share the same ocean home, they are very different. show more There are more than 350 different species of sharks. Sharks are cold-blooded. Sharks are not mammals. They are a special kind of fish. Some sharks lay eggs; others give birth to live young.
Scientists used to think that most sharks needed to keep moving through the water to get enough oxygen to breathe. But more than 30 years ago, a discovery changed their mind.

3. Write your feelings about the book in details.

Fresh water has more oxygen in it than salt water. They think that the extra oxygen helped the sharks breathe without swimming and perhaps made them calm(See p 71).

Doesn't they have to swim if there are enough oxygen in the water?

4. Write the words, phrases or sentences that impressed you most in the book and explain why they impressed you. Or you could write your questions about the book.

When same sharks zero in for an attack, they close their eyes or roll them back to protect themselves from being hit the eyes by bones or sharp objects.

It's amazing to be closed their eyes when they hunt! show less

Discusses dolphins and sharks, their ocean habits, and general information about oceans and oceanography.

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